Little Shop Goes to High School
by AlwaysWearingSweaters
Summary: And AU where, in the midst of her relationship with Orin, Audrey meets the awkward Seymour at her High School Valentine's dance. Includes Audrey, Seymour, Orin, and some Ronette. Only one or two swear words. This is my first LSOH story, so please no mean reviews please


Audrey stood by herself as she watched her classmates dance around the gym floor. The lights of the disco ball spun gently around the crowd, illuminating the beautiful flower arrangements on the tables and the giddy students, faces all flushed from the fun they were having. It was the Valentine's dance, one of the most important events of the school year. It was a time of chocolates and somewhat sickening displays of affection behind the bleachers. It was a time to finally get up the guts to ask your sweetheart to dance with you. But Audrey didn't feel like dancing. She stood by a nearby table, giving smiles and attempting small talk with several of her friends. More "acquaintances" really because of her lack of social standings at her school. Not many people took her seriously.

She looked around for her boyfriend Orin, her eyes darting past a group of students dancing provocatively and a few more who were standing and sipping punch. He wasn't anywhere nearby, but Audrey didn't mind. She had been having troubles with him for the past few months. At first, Orin had seemed like a nice, sweet guy. He was successful in plenty of the school clubs and was smarter than the average student. Audrey didn't even have a job so it was refreshing to have a boyfriend with a lot of cash on him. He was a heavy spender, buying her all sorts of lavish things just to prove that he could. But as time went by, Audrey began noticing that it was peculiar how he refused to even hold her hand or kiss her cheek. People she confided in had been telling her that he was a shady character, but Audrey didn't listen. She wanted so badly for things to get better. But they only got worse.

She was ignored every day and treated like garbage, even having to give up her seat at a lunch table for Orin who forced her to sit on the floor. He refused to be there for her and treat her right like a normal boyfriend would. Like the kind that Audrey needed. She had been praying that things would get better and that he'd prove himself at this dance, but so far, nothing good had come of it. He hadn't danced with her even once and hadn't bothered to tell her that she looked nice, even after she had spent half her evening getting ready. Even her favorite dress couldn't make her feel better as she looked at Orin, who had been talking it up with some skinny girl with long black hair. Audrey exhaled sharply.

It wasn't fair. All of the girls she saw were happy, dancing with their boyfriends and then there she was, standing dejected by the punch bowl. Audrey wanted to cry like she had in her room many nights over the Orin tragedy, but realized that tears wouldn't help anything. She had to find at least _someone_ to talk to around here. Suddenly, as if answering a prayer, a girl came walking casually towards her with a grin.

"Well hey, Ronette," Audrey smiled. Ronette was one of Audrey's more friendly friends, an unusual girl with an unusual haircut and an unusual wardrobe to match.

"You havin' fun?" Ronette yelled over the music. Audrey nodded and smiled despite herself. She guessed that being here was a lot better than being scared and alone. At least she had Ronette here now.

"What are _you_ doin' here?" she asked Ronette, "I thought you hated anything to do with Valentine's Day!"

"Well," she sighed, "I'm here to keep a friend company. His uh...guardian is in charge of some of those flowery decorations and my friend decided to come along and help him out for a few extra bucks," Ronette shrugged. Audrey smiled.

"Well that's awfully nice of you. Is he...ya know...your boyfriend or something?"

"NO!" Ronette laughed. "He's sweet but he's not my type." Audrey nodded in understanding.

"I'll catch ya later," Ronette laughed, "I've gotta find my 'date.'" Audrey wiggled her skinny, newly polished fingers in a wave. Even Ronette had someone here to dance with, even if he _was_ just her friend…

Audrey stood by the punch table for a while longer, taking advantage of some chocolate pretzels. She felt the chocolate come off on her fingers and licked it off, feeling like manners were the last thing on her mind.

"Alright, girl," she told herself, "this is the Valentine's dance! Don't have a pity party, go out there and have fun!" Audrey knew that talking herself into having fun would help her. After all, she had talked herself through her entire relationship with Orin, convincing herself that everything would get better when she knew deep down that it wouldn't.

She began walking forward with a newfound spring in her step, finally deciding to dance next to a few friends. They seemed to be having a good time and Audrey cheered up for a few moments, almost forgetting about Orin until she felt a telltale hand on her shoulder.

"Having fun?" a familiar voice asked her. Audrey slowly turned to look at her date. She gave a smile but hoped he could see the disappointment she was hiding underneath.

"Yeah. Havin' a great time," Audrey said with a nod. Orin flashed her an empty smile, his perfect teeth glinting as the lights flashed. He looked as if he was about to say something when Audrey saw Ronette approaching her out of the corner of her eye. She almost felt a sigh of relief as Orin's attention went to Ronette, who, Audrey now noticed, had a guy with her. He seemed to be a bit disoriented, gazing around at the commotion around him, but looked exhilarated as if he was having a good time.

"Everyone," Ronette said, "this is my friend Seymour." Seymour gave a shy smile and waved his hand in greeting. He shook Orin's hand and Audrey's, giving an enthused but awkward hello. He subconsciously glanced back over at Audrey several times, fidgeting with the hem of his outfit.

He looked a bit too casual for a dance in jeans, sneakers, and a grey sweater until Audrey remembered that he was working here. He was taller than Ronette, but a bit shorter than Orin, a mess of wavy brown hair covering his head. Audrey watched as he interacted with Orin, not sure quite what to do with himself. Orin had an amused look on his face, but not an entertained expression. More of a "who is this guy, he doesn't have a clue what he's doing" look played on his sharp features. While Seymour and Orin talked, Audrey stood by and listened, already noticing that Orin and Seymour were completely different people. It made Audrey take an immediate liking to Seymour, recognizing his sweet nature right away. But she knew all too well that sweet boys could be deceiving so she was still a bit wary. _But any boy is better than the one I got now_, she thought to herself.

Orin eventually lost interest in the new guy and left, leaving Audrey and Seymour standing together. It was comical how uncomfortable they were and how awkward they felt. They glanced over at each other uneasily, getting nervous every time their eyes connected. Suddenly Audrey spoke up.

"So how do you know Ronette?" she asked curiously. Seymour scratched his brown hair and looked a bit surprised that she had actually started talking to him. He had felt out of place at this dance but now this pretty girl was with him and he felt a whole lot better. And a whole lot more jittery.

"W-well, um...w-we've grewed, I mean, grown up together…I guess you could say," he blurted uneasily with a nod and a grin, but with a nervous tone to his voice as if he were talking to a celebrity. It made Audrey smile, but Seymour felt like a fool. _Damnit, can't you at least talk straight to the girl?!_ he thought to himself.

"Ya know," she continued with laugh, "I figured you and Ronette were here as dates." Seymour's eyes grew wide and he snorted out a slightly awkward and high-pitched laugh that made Audrey giggle under her breath. Her laugh infected him with the warm-fuzzies but he brushed them off the best he could.

"Oh no no no," he said almost too hastily, "we could _never_ be together. Ronette and I are, uh…well…we're way too different."

"I know how _that_ is," Audrey said almost to herself, her mind darting back to Orin.

Almost as if reading her mind, Orin appeared off in the distance, alone by a table as he began looking over at Audrey and Seymour. His face showed anything but friendliness.

"I'll be back," Audrey said with a nervous smile to Seymour, leaving him as he watched her walk away.

"Gosh, you sure are beautiful..." Seymour said to himself, his eyes following her.

Audrey was, indeed, beautiful. Her black dress had a large, showy bow over the chest and the bottom of the dress poofed out, stopping just below the knee. It accentuated her figure and she sparkled. Even her shoes sparkled. At least, Seymour thought she did. Not literally, of course, but Audrey herself seemed to have a light about her. Seymour immediately knew that she wasn't like other girls. He felt like kicking himself for not being able to even carry on a simple conversation without making a mistake, but he felt like it was all a blur now. He had talked to Audrey. _AND_ _SHE SAID SHE'D BE BACK _he thought trying to hide the smile that crept onto his face.

His eyes lingered on Audrey, scared that she would look back and realize that he was still watching her. His face turned red at the mere thought. But, for some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Partly because she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, and partly because something seemed wrong. That Orin guy didn't seem so nice. Audrey was talking to him, making hand motions and looking almost scared. She looked like she was…pleading. Eventually, Orin walked off, leaving poor Audrey standing there, dejected and alone. Seymour felt the impulse to go over and comfort her but he didn't want to overstep personal boundaries. And he definitely didn't want to make things worse.

"Geez, I hope that stud isn't her date…she deserves so much better!" he said to himself as he walked to the dessert table. Seymour figured she should've come here with a movie star. But he also knew that Orin was more successful and definitely less awkward than he was. _By a landslide. Or an avalanche,_ he thought.

However, a sudden wave of emotion overcame him. _I wonder if she's here all by herself, _he mused_, I wonder if she's really lonely and wants to dance…oh gosh no, Seymour, get that thought out of your head! You're the most awkward guy here. And you look like such a nerd…you're even in a sweater! She'd dance with you when hell freezes over…but…what if I never see her again…_ Seymour tried to shake the thought out of his head but it wouldn't leave. His heart leapt forward once he saw her standing there by herself. Suddenly, as if fate had stepped in, a slow song came over the speakers.

Seymour straightened his sweater and adjusted his glasses. He knew that it was now or never, and marched forward to Audrey. He stopped short and hesitated, but she saw him approaching. He felt like a complete dork, but he smiled at her anyway. She waved and, with that signal, he lunged forward and grabbed her arm.

"Dance with me," he asked with as much confidence as he could muster. Audrey looked shocked and didn't really know what to say.

"Oh, Seymour…" she said with a strange look in her eyes. His heart plummeted, realizing what the answer would be.

"Yes?"  
"I really shouldn't…my boyfriend Orin is over there and I don't want him to get mad at you…he already seems mad at _me_." Seymour nodded, feeling his hands go clammy.

"Oh! I didn't know he was your boyfriend, I'm so sorry Audrey, I mean, I figured that maybe you were here alone and wanted to dance with somebody and I thought that _maybe_ he was your date but I had no idea he was your actual boyfriend and I'm so stupid and I'm sorry!" he rattled off. Audrey cracked a smile at his awkward rambling. She was surprised that she found it extremely charming.

"It's alright! I would if I could, I swear, I just don't think it'd be a good idea," she said.

Seymour didn't have much of anything to say. He felt as if his heart had been run over by a cement truck. His confidence dropped as he watched Orin strut across the gym floor, his posture, his shoes, even his hair perfectly in place. And then there was Seymour with his unmanageable wavy hair and tendency to trip over thin air. He didn't have anything on that guy.

"Well…I-I'm sorry Audrey," was all Seymour could say. She looked as if she was about to say something but Seymour had already gone off, tripping over his own feet as he walked away.

Seymour was overcome with sadness, but so was Audrey. She wanted to dance with him more than anything, but Orin had gotten frustrated over her brief conversation with Seymour and was acting as if she had run off and married him in Vegas. No telling what he would do if she danced with him. Audrey was fed up. Seymour seemed like a sweet little guy, and Orin had no right to get mad at her for making a new friend. If anything, she should be the one yelling at him for talking to all of the pretty girls at the dance. She realized that coming to this event had been a complete mistake.

"Alright, Audrey," she said to herself as she held back tears, "this is a special night, Orin or no Orin. You should at least try to have fun." She forced herself to go out on the dance floor and find Ronette. The two of them began chatting and eventually started jumping around and dancing with the other students out there. Audrey suddenly scanned the crowd looking for Seymour. _I wonder if he's looking for me too_ she mused. She still felt extremely guilty about Seymour. He had only asked her to dance. She had said no for his benefit, really, because Orin would've had his head, but if only Seymour knew that…

Her attitude improved over the next while as she had a good time with Ronette, realizing that she didn't need a man to have fun. In fact, a wave of compassion came over her and she decided to go and find Orin and apologize so he would maybe, just maybe, forgive her. She left the crowd, searching everywhere for Orin, but he was nowhere to be found. Even after asking several people, nobody had seen him. The flashing lights didn't aid her search and after ten minutes she finally just gave up. Suddenly, Seymour appeared out of the corner of her eye. She ran over to him, kicking her shoes off so she could move faster.

"Seymour! Have you seen Orin?" she asked him with large, inquisitive green eyes.

"Yeah! He just…oh…oh no, Audrey…" his expression of excitement turned to one of dread and sadness.

"What?" she said, her voice constricting in her throat.

"He left fifteen minutes ago. He…he didn't tell you?" Seymour said in disbelief. It was one thing to treat your date horribly at a Valentine's dance, but it was another to abandon her without anywhere to go. Seymour wanted to chase down that creep and tell him what a beautiful, sweet girl Audrey seemed to be, but he was long gone by now.

"No! I had no idea!" Audrey said, tears welling up in her eyes. Seymour felt his heart crack. How could anyone leave this beautiful girl by herself? Without thinking, his arms made their way around her in an uneasy hug, but eventually held her tightly. She hugged him back, surprised at how concerned he was for her and at how tight he held her. She let herself take comfort in him for a few seconds before breaking the hug.

"Listen…um, Audrey, I know I haven't really known either of you for very long…" Seymour admitted while he had confidence, "but I don't think he's the best guy for you." _And that's an understatement_ he said in his head. Audrey nodded, sniffling fragilely.

"I know. Trust me, I do," she said with a sad smile. "And I wanna thank you. You were sweeter to me than he's been for months and you weren't even my date. I wish I would've danced with you, I really do. But I was just lookin' out for you. Honest, I was. I didn't want him to get mad at you!"

Seymour nodded, accepting this to be true although he still felt a bit melancholy about it.

"I believe you, Audrey. And I hope that things go well for you," he said, hoping that he would somehow be able to see her after tonight. She shrugged.

"Things would get a lot better if I could find a good job and pay for my own stuff. It'd give me an excuse to stay away from Orin." Suddenly, Seymour felt as if a light bulb had appeared over his head. _Of course! _

"Audrey, I think you oughtta meet my boss. Ya see, we run this little flower shop…"


End file.
